Victorian Costuming

Category Archives: 1895 Summer Ensemble

I really thought more of my costumes got out of the closet this year but I guess not. I think it was because there were no events like the Dicken’s Festival or Coco where multiple costumes get worn. Here are the ones that did get out.

The dummy behind the counter had a similar shirtwaist on as the dummy in front of the counter!

Seven in total. Eight if you count the time I played a hooker at the old jail and stood in my undies for the audience.

I’m hoping, this new year, my costuming buddies and I will make it out to the Dicken’s Festival in Saskatchewan. That will increase the number of dresses that get worn! I also hope that I will have the opportunity to wear the ones that didn’t get used this year. I don’t like the idea of dresses languishing in the closet too long. But perhaps that may encourage me to part with the ones that no longer thrill me. The ones that have flaws that now seem glaringly obvious.

PS. I hope you folks had a good New Year’s celebration and you enjoy this new one. May your troubles be few and your joys be many!

I had big plans to wear all my dresses this year but that didn’t happen. I blame my new job…not having vacation time, Shirley and I were not able to go to Saskatchewan for the Dickens Festival. That trip alone would have had at least 4 dresses out and about.

But lets see how well I did.

1838-40 Queen V dress. Check. That was worn at the Coco Gala.

1845 Atessa dress was worn for Halloween.

The 1860’s Silky Skies dress got put on for this photo but I can’t figure out where I wore it. I wouldn’t have put all that on for a chance to try on the apron!

Oh, wait! Good ol’ Facebook! According to Facebook I wore Silky Skies to the 7 Oaks Museum. For some reason, those photos didn’t get posted here! I will remedy that next post!

1861 Senora dress was worn to the St Boniface Museum this year.

1872 Basque in Blue was used during Coco’s Steam Punk Tea.

My 1872 Lilac dream was worn to a play (I had almost forgotten about this fun event!)

1873 Purple Polonaise went to Little Britain Church.

1880’s Half Grand Surprise Dress was used during the Circus themed social at Coco.

The 1882 Tea Gown finally got a real wearing during the Sunday breakfast with the artists at Coco. I still don’t love the gown but I no longer loath it.

My 1890’s swim suit was worn by the pool Friday night at Coco.

My 1895 Summer Ensemble made an appearance at the Steam Punk wedding.

1900 Widows Weeds got worn twice. Once by myself at a celebration and fashion show at work…

…and once by another person at the Vaughn Street Jail event last spring. (Serious nip tucking needed on the dress for this event.)

Four dresses didn’t make the cut this year: 1840’s Copper Penny, 1850’s Tea Dress, 1895 dinner gown, 1895 Walking outfit. It is probably best that I have only one dress on the docket for 2017. If I can’t get them all worn, then I have to slow down production. Or I have to part with some of them (gasp!) Trouble with that is, if I am disenchanted enough to be willing to part with one of my babies, I am disenchanted enough to feel that no one actually would want it! Then factor in size…nah. I’m just going to have to find more times to wear them or set my goal to “wear once every two years”.

I went to a Steampunk Wedding yesterday. It was a small affair and I went dateless-just not the hubby’s thing. It was an excellent opportunity to eat cake and wear one more costume. I wore my 1890’s summer ensemble, 1850’s knitted shawl and my early 1800’s gloves. I know…nothing remotely plausible about that age range but, hey, it is steampunk so historical accuracy isn’t the goal!

Earlier this summer, I gave into my impulse to buy an apron. I wondered if it was a viable option for wearing with costumes. My biggest concern was the neck band. In my limited memory, I thought the common way to support the bib front was pins, not bands. But a quick search on the Met’s site showed the bands would be fine.

1800-1890

1820-29

The next apron shows that white with lace is also acceptable.

1840-60

My costuming pal, Lottie Lovette pointed out, however, that Battenburg lace was not really a thing until the late 1800s so I will have to confine the aprons use to my 1890s outfits.

It would work with this outfit.

Or with this skirt and the other shirtwaist.

The white apron on a white shirtwaist may be a bit much so perhaps I need to make another shirtwaist. But what color…? A pale yellow may work with both skirts. Not a fan of yellow though. Both skirts have stripes so I think I will avoid stripes in the new shirtwaist.

I’d also like to make an apron (or two) more suited to earlier times…. One should be practical, something a lady might actually do some work in and one should be more decorative. The examples posted above are excellent inspirations. So many project ideas…so little time!

The hubby and I went to a flea market today and I made a small purchase. It is a portable container for matches. They were called Vestas because that is what the match was originally called.

In 1832, William Newton patented the “wax vesta” in England. It consisted of a wax stem that embedded cotton threads and had a tip of phosphorus. Variants known as “candle matches” were made by Savaresse and Merckel in 1836.

Gold tone…I believe it is brass.

The back side is plain.

You put the matches in here. The hinge moves easily and closes firmly.

It has a built in strike surface on the bottom.

I found another one on Pinterest that is very similar and is dated at 1890’s.

By the 1890’s, some attempts were made to make the manufacture of matches safer for the workers. They also attempted to solve the problem of the matches rubbing together and igniting on their own. They came up with matches similar to what we have now. This means I will load this baby up with some matches and hang them from my home made chatelaine.

My goal this year was to wear every dress I have made. How can I justify making more dresses if I can’t manage to wear the ones I have already? How did I do?

1838- 40 Green Queen V dress

I wore my Green Queen dress to the Dickens Festival.

1840’s Copper Penny dress.

Also worn at the Dickens Festival.

1850’s Tea Dress

This is what Shirley and I wore the first night at the Dickens Festival. I also wore the 1870’s shawl so kinda two for one.

1860 Silky Skies dress

Dickens again. I got a lot of mileage out of this outing. Two for one again as I wore the 1871 mantle with it.

1860 Sontag. There is a miss there. I wanted to wear it with the dress above but it was too big. But strictly speaking it isn’t a dress so we wont count it against my goal.

1870-90 Pineapple Shawl. I still don’t have anything to wear that with so another miss, but again, it isn’t a dress so that doesn’t count.

1872 Basque in blue.

I wore this to our Halloween event. I also wore my 1871 Mantle with this so it got used twice this year (after lounging in my closet for a couple of years!)

1872 Lilac Dream

All aboard! The Prairie Dog train ride.

1873 Polonaise

First outing with our tiny group’s newest member Lottie

1880’s Half Grand Surprise Dress-Doh! This is a definite miss! I did have plans to wear it but an event or two got cancelled because of weather and this is one of the dresses that didn’t make the cut. It has gotten a lot of wear other years.

1880’s travel outfit-dang! Another one that got missed. Also due to weather.

1882 Tea Gown (aka Ugly Bag of Tea Gown). First time ever. That is a win right?

Me in my Tea Gown reading how to be a Victorian. It got worn but didn’t see the light of day or other humans other than Shirley.

1890’s swim suit

Halloween costume for work.

1895 dinner gown

Out for dinner.

1895 Summer Ensemble

To my favorite house museum

1895 walking outfit

Again, at my favorite house museum.

1900 Widows Weeds

At the old jail.

So not too bad. Two dresses that got a lot of wear in years past, didn’t get worn because of cancelled events. I think I can justify making two more…

The plan is one like this black one.

The black will be done in reds and the blue will be cream and black. I want to use my vintage treadle machine for this one. The challenge will be to use as many of the attachments as possible.

And the paisley material I bought at the Dickens Festival will become something like this…I hope to make more accessories as well and I hope they will get some use! I also hope to wear the two dresses I didn’t get to wear this year…we have to keep it fair after all.